A conventional household appliance, such as a washing machine, typically includes a base with a cabinet mounted on the base. The washing tub assembly, drive motor, transmission and other structure are mounted on the base within the cabinet. A control panel is also provided at the top of the cabinet. Legs are normally provided at each corner of the base, and may be threaded into the base to allow for adjustment of the legs.
During the manufacturing process of an appliance, such as a clothes washer, the base and the cabinet are each flexible in their construction. In conventional appliances, the cabinet is secured to the base in a rigid manner so as to produce a non-flexible integral structure. Typically, there are several rigid connection points on each side of the machine, and one or more rigid connection points on the back. In prior art appliances, the cabinet is secured to the base in a rigid manner through multiple rigid connection points on each side of the machine and one or more rigid connections on the back. This plurality of rigid connections between the cabinet and the base form a rigid integral structure in the prior art appliances, with both the base and the cabinet losing their independent flexibility. Such a nonflexible appliance presents problems when the appliance is set upon an uneven or unlevel floor, particularly when the appliance is set into an opening which prevents access to one or both of the rear legs, for example, next to a cabinet fixture in a home. When such a rigid appliance is set upon an uneven or unlevel floor, if the legs are independent from one another, it is possible that only three legs may engage the floor, since the rigid base and cabinet structure prevents the base from twisting about a horizontal axis. Thus, the weight of the appliance will not be distributed among the four legs, and the appliance may vibrate excessively during operation. Some prior art appliances have attempted to overcome this problem by interconnecting the rear legs with a slider bar or linkage such that the rear legs will automatically retract or extend so as to insure that both legs are loaded equally. However, such interconnection between the rear legs requires that the legs be slideably mounted to the base, rather than threadably mounted, such that the height of the appliance cannot be adjusted, for example to match a countertop height. The interconnecting leg structure also requires large tolerances such that there is significant play or slop in the rear legs. Also, the slider bar or linkage structure adds to the cost of the appliance.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved appliance having load sharing legs.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an appliance, such as a washing machine, wherein the cabinet is attached to the base such that the base is torsionally flexible.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved appliance wherein the cabinet is rigidly attached to the base at a minimum of points so as to maintain flexibility of the base.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of an appliance having legs which are independently adjustable such that the height of the appliance can be adjusted.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a method of attaching an appliance cabinet to a base in such a manner that the appliance can be quickly and easily installed on an uneven or unlevel floor and adjusted to a desired height.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.